In subterranean installations such as oil well installations in the oil and gas industry, geothermal wells, and the like, a pipe is typically located within a bore hole or casing and radially spaced from the wall of the bore hole or the inner wall of the casing. Downhole packers, also referred to as packer elements, are typically used for sealing the annular space between the pipe and the casing or bore wall. Packers may serve various functions including protecting the wellbore casing from corrosive fluids, protecting the casing from various pressures including well and stimulation pressures, holding kill fluids or treating fluids within the casing annulus, and/or isolating formations or leaks within the casing or multiple producing zones so as to prevent fluid from migrating between zones.
Packer elements heretofore have been formed from a thermoset rubber material. The packer element is installed by running the element into a wellbore where it is anchored typically by use of a mechanical compression setting tool or fluid pressure device. When the packer element is in place, compression in an axial direction will cause the packer element to expand radially and contact the inner surface of the casing or wellbore in a tightly sealed relationship.
Typically, the radial outer surface of the packer element is contoured to allow the packer element to adjust within the annular space and move into place as it is pressurized. The packer elements having a contoured radial outer surface heretofore have been formed by molding processes.